Back To Top
Back To Top
Comment
Unlike the biblical account of Noah, Russia is not planning to build an ark that is 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in breadth (width), and 30 cubits in height.
Instead Russia has just granted Moscow State University its largest-ever scientific grant which will enable them to begin collecting the DNA of every living (and extinct) creature in order to create the planet’s first ‘Database of Life’.
“I call the project ‘Noah’s Ark.’ It will involve the creation of a depository – a databank for the storing of every living thing on Earth, including not only living, but disappearing and extinct organisms. This is the challenge we have set for ourselves,”
Said MSU rector Viktor Sadivnichy to reporters.
Although Russia was not the first to come up with the idea of preserving the genetic material of all life — they are however the first to attempt it on such grand a scale.
According to sources, Russia’s ‘Ark’ is said to be completed roughly by the year 2018 and will be 430 sq km (square kilometers) in size and will be stationed at one of the University’s central campuses.
Sadivnichy continued…
“It will enable us to cryogenically freeze and store various cellular materials, which can then reproduce. It will also contain information systems. Not everything needs to be kept in a petri dish,”
The press office of Moscow State University has confirmed that the upcoming ‘Library’ of genetic information will not only contain the DNA of animals and creatures but will also contain bio-material from all of MSU’s branches such as (but not confined to) the following…
The project has received a record-breaking 1 billion rubles ($194 million – US) in funding which will give the University’s effort to begin collecting the genetic material of all living organisms and massive ‘jump-start’.
“If it’s realized, this will be a leap in Russian history as the first nation to create an actual Noah’s Ark of sorts,”
said the rector.
As stated in the article, Russia was not the first (by far) to come up with the idea of preserving the genetic code of all living organisms. But there is one thing that I find quite troubling about this concept.
Allow me to use a short illustration…
When using even the most basic forms of technology, you learn the importance of “Backing Up” your data (pictures, messages, contact, files, etc) before you do something that could essentially “corrupt” your current or existing data.
Fortunately, by backing up your information, you can always “restore” the files to the last properly working point.
But the thought that I find most troublesome is…
“What could possibly happen on Earth that we would need a ‘copy’ of the DNA of every living organism?”
— Thermonuclear war perhaps?
But returning to the analogy, although Back up and Restore works well for computers and technology, I believe that attempting to apply the same concept to living organisms could hold consequences that are much more catastrophic than simply losing 50 pages of documents, 100 contacts, or even 1,000 pictures.
Because an organism’s Genetic markup is the fundamental building block of life — 1 “miscalculation” in altering it’s code could leave the organism… without life!
And if you know anything about humans, then you know that we are constantly making mistakes and are naturally prone to error.
Because this is a fundamental truth with humans, we can conclude tampering with the genetic code of life is something that would be an absolute mistake.
Yet there are people who for the sake of knowledge are willing to take that risk, But instead of testing on their own genetic life — they use animals (and sometimes other people). These men test and test until they “miscalculate” which then leaves the creature void of life.
Unfortunately instead of coming to the conclusion that they are not fit to alter the code, they simply go find another creature to test on in an attempt to figure out where the mistake occurred.
The genetic code of a living organism is so complex that we (humans) only have a “stick-figure” understanding of what is really going on at a genetic level. Therefore the only one who should be working with the genetic “code” of life is one who is capable of getting it right on the FIRST attempt.
But because humans are prone to error, who is capable of alterring the genetic code of living organisms without mistake? (GOD maybe?)
Although there is nothing wrong with Technology and Science, we must draw a line in the sand where these growing trends begin to invade the territories of GOD.
Despite what anyone tells you, all “Knowledge” and “technology” is not Good.
(Romans 1:30 KJV) “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents”
When GOD placed humans on the Earth, he gave us dominion over every living creature upon it. Meaning that he made us the “Care-takers” over his creation (Gen 1:26)
In fact, in the book of Genesis you can see where GOD brought all living creatures to Adam..
(Genesis 2:19 KJV) “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
Now can you imagine how GOD would respond if Adam grabbed a knife and tried to cut them open just to look inside out of curiosity?
RESOURCES:
SCRIPT